Interest rates
Norges Bank raises interest rates
In a widely expected move, Norway's central bank raised interest rates by 25 basis points on 17 August. The rise was the third this year and follows the central bank's stated recent pattern of "small and not too frequent steps".
Colombia raises rates to 21-month high
Colombia's central bank raised its key intervention rate on Friday to 6.75% from 6.5%. The move was expected by market observers as inflationary pressures have been building through high consumer spending, rapid growth in imports and a sharp increase in…
China raises rates by 0.27%
The People's Bank of China on Friday 18 August announced increases of 0.27 percent for key lending and deposit rates in an attempt to slow investment and prevent the economy from overheating.
Fukui says 'more time' needed to hike rates
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui told the Kyodo News Agency in an interview that the central bank needs "a little more time" to lift interest rates after it ended its zero-rate policy last month.
Minutes show Blanchflower dissented on rate rise
The Bank of England's interest rate setting Monetary Policy Committee voted six-to-one to raise its key repo rate by a quarter point to 4.75 pct at its meeting on 3 August, minutes released Wednesday 16 August showed.
BoJ members called for cautious stance - minutes
Minutes released Wednesday 16 August showed some members of the Bank of Japan's policy board called for a cautious policy stance at their last meeting to avoid leading markets to think the central bank's rushing to raise interest rates.
BoE's Bean says rate move was no surprise
The inflation rate two or more years in the future matters more than the current rate for setting monetary policy, Bank of England Chief Economist Charles Bean was quoted as saying on Wednesday 16 August.
PBOC should raise rates again, says economist
A well-known Chinese economist was quoted by Xinhua News as calling for another interest rate hike as the economy pushed ahead at the fastest pace in a decade.
World Bank sees China economy slowing
The World Bank said on Tuesday 15 August that China's economy is likely to slow slightly over the rest of the year and Beijing will probably wait to see the impact of current tightening steps before deciding if more are needed.
SNB's Roth sees continued rate hikes
Swiss National Bank president Jean-Pierre Roth said in an interview with Swiss Sunday paper NZZ am Sonntag that the SNB will continue its policy of gradual interest rate hikes.
BOJ's Fukui says rate hike not ruled out
Bank of Japan governor Toshihiko Fukui said Friday 11 August the central bank will "slowly" adjust interest rates while keeping a close eye on economic and price moves ahead.
Fed probably will skip rate increase next month
According to this article published Wednesday 9 August, by John Berry of Bloomberg, the best guess is probably that there won't be a rate increase in the US next month.
Japan's Abe sees end of deflation in view
Japan's chief government spokesman said Thursday 10 August the end of deflation is "within sight," but did not declare it over in the world's second largest economy.
Communications breakthrough reaps reward for Fed
According to this article from the Financial Times, published Wednesday 9 August, Ben Bernanke will probably be pleased with the muted market reaction that followed the FOMC's latest interest rate decision.
Richmond's Lacker first to dissent under Bernanke
This article published Tuesday 8 August by Bloomberg notes that Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond president Jeffrey Lacker disagreed with the Fed's decision to forgo an interest-rate increase.
Zeti says guidelines for takaful operators soon
The guidelines set for takaful operators in Malaysia will be issued "soon," according to Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz.
Is King readying his pen reluctantly or eagerly?
The UK press has jumped on the admission by Mervyn King that he might soon have to write a letter to the chancellor if inflation climbs above the 3% limit, but such a letter would not be the admission of failure that many imply.
Thailand to keep rates steady
The Bank of Thailand will probably keep its benchmark interest rate on hold for the rest of the year after borrowing costs quadrupled since August 2004, the central bank governor told Bloomberg in an interview on Monday 7 August.
ECB's Liebscher says ECB may raise rates higher
European Central Bank council member Klaus Liebscher was quoted on Monday 7 August as saying in an interview that the eurozone central bank is ready to raise interest rates further.
Li Yang says China shouldn't follow US
China should not follow in the footsteps of the United States by starting a cycle of interest rate rises, former central bank adviser Li Yang said in an article published on Monday 7 August.
ECB's Bini Smaghi sees further policy tightening
European Central Bank executive committee member Lorenzo Bini Smaghi said in an interview published Sunday 6 August that he sees further increases in euro zone interest rates in the next months.
Belgium's Quaden says all things possible
Belgian National Bank governor Guy Quaden said in a radio interview it is possible for the European Central Bank to control inflation at the same time as promoting growth.
Trichet says further rate rises may be 'warranted'
European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said Thursday 3 August more interest rate increases may be "warranted" after the bank increased eurozone rates for the fourth time in eight months.
Surprise as Bank of England tightens early
The Bank of England raised interest rates by a quarter-point on Thursday 3 August, bringing the official bank rate to 4.75% after a year on hold.